The present invention relates to the field of books. More particularly, this invention relates to books containing a multi-part three dimensional model.
A multi-part three dimensional model is worth a thousand words. A person typically learns more, quicker, when he/she can observe, touch, study the parts of a model in three dimensions. With a quick study of model parts, a person gains information that typically requires paragraphs if not pages of text to develop and explain. For example, a three dimensional model of the parts of a human body can quickly convey to a person the numbers and shapes of bones in the arms, legs, hands, and fingers, as well as the proportional sizes of the arms to the legs, the hands to the feet, the fingers to the toes, and the hands to body. To receive this same information from text, a reader typically has to read one or more pages. In addition, studying a three dimensional model typically increases a person""s attention and thus increases the person""s comprehension. When combined with text to convey information, a three dimensional multi-part model becomes even more powerful.
The prior art contains books that include three dimensional multi-part models within a book; however the books contain models that are thicker than the book. Thus, a portion of the model protrudes through the front cover or back cover or both. This can be expensive to a manufacturer when he/she ships the book to a vendor because to secure the books within a box, special packing inserts or packing material must be placed between each book. A model protruding from one or both of the covers of a book can also be frustrating to a vendor or purchaser of the book because the book can not be stacked with other books and will not fit neatly on a shelf. Thus, a book containing a three dimensional multi-part model that does not protrude from the front cover, back cover or both is very desirable.
In addition, the books found in the prior art include components that are not attached to other components of the model or any page in the book but rather are stored in one or more pockets in one or more pages. To assemble the model, the reader must first find and retrieve the loose component and then combine it with another component using written instructions provided on a page. Unfortunately, these books suffer three drawbacks. First, the reader may inadvertently combine the components of the model incorrectly by misunderstanding the written instructions, and thus, misunderstand some of the information conveyed by the components and assembled model. Second, the reader typically has to hold the components in their proper location and thus can not typically assemble more than two components together. Finally, in these books, the components can be easily lost depriving subsequent readers of the informational value of the lost component as well as the assembled model.
Therefore there is need for a book that contains a three dimensional multi-part model that does not protrude from the front or back cover. There is also a need for a book that contains a three dimensional model made from components attached to the book that can be combined with other components to assemble the model or can be separated from the model. Such a book would allow the reader to study the individual components as well as how the components combine to make the model. This allows the user to better understand and fully comprehend the information the model and the components convey.
In one aspect of the present invention, a book includes a plurality of pages bound together with each page having a page thickness, and a plurality of model components including a first model component attached to a page and a second model component attached to another page such that, when the book is closed, the model components combine with each other to form a model assembly. The model assembly has an assembly thickness less than or equal to the sum of the page thicknesses, thus, allowing the book to lie substantially flat on a surface when either the cover or back of the book contacts the surface. In addition, the book can be shipped, displayed and stored much easier and more efficiently than a book having a portion of its three dimensional model protruding from one of its covers. When the book is opened, because components are attached to different pages, the model assembly is partially unassembled and, by turning successive pages, the model assembly becomes increasingly disassembled. This allows a reader to maintain interest in the subject matter and also provides the reader with information that is typically difficult to comprehend without seeing how the components combine.
In another aspect of the invention, the book includes a plurality of model components each having a component thickness greater than the page thickness of the component""s respective page. At least one component is hingedly attached to a page and movable about a component axis disposed on a surface of the page to an assembled position where the component is combined with another component to form a model assembly when the book is closed. By hingedly attaching at least one component to a page, a reader can remove the hinged component from the model assembly without having to turn the page and without disconnecting the component from the book.
In another aspect of the invention, the book includes at least one page hingedly attached to another page to form a binding axis which is not located on a spine of the book. In this and certain other embodiments, each page of the book includes a first edge and a second edge. The spine is formed by binding the first edges of most of the pages to each other, and the binding axis is formed by binding the second edge of at least one page to the second edge of another page.